Love Everlasting
by Quill N. Inque
Summary: ONESHOT One fateful night, Zuko gathers his courage and finally "pops the question"...


Love Everlasting

An Avatar: The Last Airbender Fanfic by Quill N. Inque

I do not own Avatar.

"_Love conquers all."-Virgil_

Chapter 1 (and only)

Being Fire Lord is harder than I thought.

I always used to believe that the Fire Lord's word was law and that his authority was absolute, but now I realize that only my tyrant of a father could have implemented such policies. It would be so much simpler that way.

Unfortunately, politics is a maze of compromises and deals made behind closed doors, and every day I try to please everyone and end up pleasing no one. I have spent many sleepless nights pouring over reports and dispatches from the far corners of the Earth as the Fire Nation withdraws its troops from the Earth Kingdom and the South Pole. Recovery is going…slowly, to say the least. The Water Tribes, in particular, have been very unforgiving in their demands for large amounts of food and money as reparations. Then there are the Earthbenders, who pressure me day in and day out to speed up the timetable of the withdrawal. And to top it all off, more than one of the Fire Nation's rich and powerful are of the opinion that Father had the right idea all along. I am probably up to my ears in enemies, and for this reason the Imperial Guard won't even let me take an Agni-damned shower without escort.

All of these things, and more, buzzed through my mind as I picked at the food on the ornate plate in front of me. I wasn't hungry, having been to many such banquets over the past few months; I find that nobles and high-ranking generals "invite me to dinner" only when they want something from me. This particular man, and Admiral in the Fire Nation Combined Fleet, was no exception. I have a hunch he wants permits to mine for iron and coal up in the mountains. I won't give it to him, though, because, thanks to dear old dad's industrialization program, the Fire Nation is starting to have a real pollution problem. Yet another thing to discuss at the Council meeting tomorrow morning, I thought as I nodded absentmindedly to what Admiral Cho was saying, pretending to listen as my mind continued to wander.

Frankly, all this mental stimulation served an additional purpose, as well as tuning out the old fart's droning. Letting my brain run free helped distract me from what I was going to do AFTER dinner was over. Just the very thought made my heart flutter nervously as I looked to my left and spotted _her._

Tonight, I was going to do it.

Tonight, I was going to ask Mai to marry me.

I've had several suitors in the past months, but I've made it clear that my heart belongs to her. It's _always _belonged to her. The only reason I haven't done this sooner was because Mai goes at her own pace, and I didn't want to rush anything or make her uncomfortable. I haven't asked her father for permission to marry, either, largely due to our enormous animosity. There was no way he'd approve of Mai's choice, not when there were so many other potential husbands out there. I glanced at her again as the long-winded speech mercifully began to end and all the while the ring's weight was unfamiliar in my pocket. I felt my hands begin to sweat anxiously as we stood up from the table, smiling artificial smiles as we thanked Cho for his "hospitality". Mai grabbed my hand as she led me outside, and sparks of electricity danced down my arm.

I love her. I love her so much.

We stepped outside into the garden, illuminated by the moon's ethereal glow, and the air was heavy with the drone of bees and the scent of pollen. Flowers of all kinds bloomed in an explosion of reds, purples and yellows as vines crept up the walls around us, and if my mind hadn't been on more important things, I would have stopped a moment to admire the beauty around me. Mai stopped underneath the shade of a fire blossom tree, and the moonlight made her skin shine like a goddess as she eyed me skeptically.

I couldn't tear my eyes away. She's so beautiful, so perfect, so flawless in every way. I would be the luckiest man in the world to have such a woman as my beloved, a soul mate that I would gladly spend the rest of my life with. I could go on for hours talking about Mai; how I love the way her eyes twinkle when she thinks something is funny, how the scent of her perfume is like an intoxicating drug. Every moment away from her seems like a thousand years, and I would gladly die for her every day for the rest of eternity if it meant keeping her safe, I would willingly face down an entire army to defend her. I love her with every fiber, every molecule of my being, I need her more than I need air, food, and water, and possibly more.

She is my everything.

My world.

My Mai.

Her very name is like a magic spell, my heart beats faster whenever I hear it, and the feeling of her touch is the most wonderful thing in the world. Mai completes me, so thoroughly, so utterly, that the very thought of life without her doesn't even seem worth the effort. I want to spend all my years with her by my side, a true equal in every way, every inch the Fire Lady whom I love with all the vastness of the ocean depths. I want to have children by her, a family of my own, and together, we will give our children the love my father never gave me, and we will sit back and watch as our sons and daughters reach adulthood as we grow old and gray and wrinkly together.

Oh, Agni, I love this woman.

Mai's hand on my arm shook me out of my thoughts of the future, and her voice was, and still is, the sweetest sound I have ever heard. "Zuko, what's wrong? You've been acting like this all night."

My throat suddenly sealed shut, my body began to sweat and my face grows clammy. I reached out softly, as if Mai would break if I touched her too hard, and with exaggerated gentleness I drew her close to me as my hear t soars. I ran my hands through her soft, silky hair, breathing in Mai's scent as I gather the courage to speak. I only said three words as Mai stiffened in surprise.

"I love you."

"Have you been hitting Iroh's spice stash again?" Mai asked. "You're not one to express your feelings, Zuko."

_This is it,_ I thought. _I'm going to do it. Please, oh merciful Agni, don't let me screw this up…_

"No," I said, as I slowly got down on one knee. "I said I love you, and I mean it. Mai…you're my entire world," I continued, blushing like an idiot. "I don't know what I'd do without you, I love you so, so much, I would rather commit seppuku than see you hurt, I would kill a thousand men a thousand times if it meant keeping you safe." I looked her in the face, so she could see the truth in my eyes. "Mai," I breathed as I fished the fire opal ring from my pants, "will you marry me?"

She stared down at me, utterly taken aback, and my heart plunged into my chest. What did I do wrong? What did I-

All coherent thought was lost as Mai yanked me to my feet and kissed me. Hard. I was momentarily surprised, but within seconds my eyes closed blissfully and heat suffused my very core as she unconsciously put her arms around me. I never, ever wanted this moment to end. I was almost convinced I would die of happiness, such was the joy that I felt as I held Mai in my arms. When I realized I needed to breathe, I reluctantly broke away.

"So is that a yes?" I asked, grinning.

"Idiot," Mai drawled. "I was starting to wonder if you'd ever get around to asking me."

I laughed aloud with pure contentment, and the moon's light shone down on us as we embraced once more.


End file.
